Lesson 5: Future Aircraft

Key Words: withstand, space, base, launch, detach, monitor, hypersonic, research, melting point

A. Look at the pictures and say what they are. Discuss with your partner.

B. Read the news report adapted from the Guardian.

The Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle-2 (Falcon HTV-2) is the fastest plane ever built by human beings. It would fly from London to Sydney in less than an hour. Supersonic Concorde, by the way, could not fly at such a great speed. At the same time, it would withstand temperatures of almost 2,000 degrees C. This temperature is hotter than the melting point of steel.

The US Defense Agency will launch the Falcon HTV-2. First, they will set it on the back of a rocket. Then, they will launch both into space from an Air Force Base. The plan goes like this: engineers will launch the Falcon HTV-2 into space on the back of a rocket; then, they will detach the plane from the rocket; the plane Falcon will fly towards the Earth; engineers will guide and monitor it in its flight. The plane would fly at hypersonic speed of 13,000 mph. This speed is about 20 times the speed of sound.

The Falcon was born in 2003. It was born as part of a US military project. The project researched and built a special type of plane. The researchers wanted that the plane could reach any part of the world in less than an hour. They also wanted to use it for any purposes, military or civil. The plane was already tested in computer models.

The Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle-2 would be mankind’s dream aircraft in the days to come.

Questions

1. What is HTV-2?
2. What is the speed of HTV-2?
3. Describe the steps of the HTV-2 test flight.
4. Why was the HTV-2 developed?
5. Do you think that HTV-2 will be ‘mankind’s dream aircraft’? Why do you think so?

C. Imagine you are a TV reporter. You have come to interview the chief engineer of the HTV-2 Launch Project. What questions will you ask him/her? Design a short dialogue between yourself and the engineer, and write it. Finally, act it out in pairs with proper sounds, stress, and intonation.

D. Listen to the teacher/CD carefully and complete the following sentences with appropriate words.

U9, L5 D Listening Text: 11

1. Thursday's flight will test another _______________ of the aircraft.
2. The plane is made of _______________ composite materials.
3. The plane will fly at _______________ speed.
4. In the flight, the body _______________ of the plane could reach 2,000 degrees Celsius.
5. _______________ will melt at 2000 degrees Celsius.

E. The following passage is based on the information in section B. Read the text in B again. Discuss in pairs and complete the following sentences with will/would, can/could/could not.

Even Concorde _______________ fly as fast as Falcon HTV-2. The news report says: the US Defense Agency _______________ launch the Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle-2 into space. Scientists expect that the Falcon HTV-2 _______________ fly at 13,000 miles per hour. The US military wishes that it _______________ bomb any part of the world in less than an hour in the future. Engineers plan that they _______________ set the Falcon on the back of a rocket to launch it into the distant space.

F. Have you ever dreamt of flying to a city/country of your choice? If yes, write about your dream. If not, try to imagine you are flying to that place in a plane. Write about your experience and expectations.

If you fly westward in a supersonic plane such as Concorde, you will land several hours before you took off. Can you explain how?